The present invention relates to electropneumatic brake control on a train and more specifically to the electronic portion of the trainline controller.
Electropneumatic brake control valves are well known in the passenger railroad art and the mass transit railroad art. Because the trains are short and are not involved generally in a mix and match at an interchange of different equipment, the ability to provide pneumatic and electrical control throughout the train has been readily available in the passenger and the mass transit systems. In freight trains, the trains may involve as much as one hundred cars stretching over one mile or more. The individual cars may lay idle in harsh environments for up to a year without use. Also, because of the long distance they travel, the cars are continuously moved from one consist to another as it travels to its destination. Thus, the use of electropneumatic-pneumatic valves in the freight trains has been very limited.
A prior art system with electropneumatic train brake controls is illustrated in FIG. 1. An operator control stand 10 generally has a pair of handles to control the train braking. It controls a brake pipe controller 12 which controls the brake pipe 14 running through out the train. It also includes a trainline controller 16 with power source 17 which controls the trainline 18 which is a power line as well as an electrical communication line. The operator control stand 10, the brake pipe controller 12 and the trainline controller 16 are located in the locomotive.
Each car includes a car control device 20 having a car ID module 22 and a sensor 24 connected to the trainline 18. The pneumatic portion of the car brakes include a brake cylinder 26, a reservoir 28 and a vent valve 29. The car control device 20 is also connected to the brake pipe 14 and the trainline 18. The brake pipe controller 12 is available from New York Air Brake Corporation as CCBII(copyright) and described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,098,006 to Sherwood et al. The trainline controller 16 and the CCD 20 are also available from New York Air Brake as a product known as EP60xc2x0. The car control device 20 is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,620to Truglio et al and U.S. Pat. No. 6,049,296 to Lumbis et al. Each of these patents and products are incorporated herein as necessary for the understanding of the present patent.
The trainline controller 16 is shown in detail in FIG. 2. The operator control stand 10 includes EP Brake controller 30 and an operator interface unit or display 31 which are connected to a trainline communication controller 40. The trainline communication controller 40 is connected to the trainline 18 and receives 75 volts DC from the locomotive battery. It is also connected to the locomotive EP brake 30 and to the locomotive systems 32. The locomotivecontrol 16 also includes a trainline power controller 50 connected to the trainline 18. It is also connected to 75 volts DC from the locomotive as well as the trainline power supply 38. The trainline power supply 38 provides all of the voltage necessary for operation of the electronics of the trainline power controller as well as the trainline 18. The 230 volts are applied to the trainline 18 in the normal operational mode. The 24 volts are the volts that is applied to the trainline 18 during synchronization.
The example illustrated in FIG. 2 is for a lead locomotive and a trailing locomotive. The trainlines between the locomotives are connected by EP trainline connectors 34. The leading EP lineconnector 34 has a head end termination HETT 36 terminating the trainline. The trainline communications controller 40 controls the trainline and communication and the power through the trainline power controller 50. Although the trainline power controller 50 and the trainline power supply 30 are shown in a second locomotive, they may also be located in the leading locomotive. Also, it is anticipated that all of the locomotives will have a trainline communication controller and a trainline power line controller therein. Using multiple power sources to power the trainline is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,907,193 to Lumbis. Testing the trainline before powering up is also described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,876 to Lumbis et al.
The current invention is an improved trainline communication controller which reduces the number of wires and discreet parts. Because the risk of failure increases with the number of wire sand connections, a primary purpose of the present invention is to reduce the number of required wires and connections. The instant invention reduces the number of required wires from 120 down to only six.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.